The invention generally relates to distributed computer systems and/or networks of interconnected computer systems, and more particularly to a method and system of Web-site host consistency administration among inconsistent software-object libraries of remote distributed health-care providers.
Looked at differently, the problem addressed by the invention relates to person-to-machine interaction with data. By way of background, a Web-site host is entrusted to provide administration services over a client""s data. The clientxe2x80x94a very real personxe2x80x94receives access to the data in the form of requests transmitted to the host over the Internet. The invention deals with the consistent presentation of requested data on the client""s machine. That way, the client (ie., the person) is less likely to misinterpret the data if it is presented consistently the same time after time.
Preferably the invention is implemented over the Internet to take advantage of its far reach as an affordable communications medium to remote distributed machines. More preferably still is that the given communications transmitted between the Web-site host and its clients over the Internet use open or public domain protocols for doing so. These principally include to date for Web-page matter the languages or formats of HTML (hypertext markup language), SGML (standard generalized markup language), XML (extensible markup language), XSL (extensible style language), or CSS (cascading style sheets).
The present application claims relation to the above-referenced co-pending, commonly-owned and commonly-invented U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/726,946, filed Nov. 29, 2000, entitled xe2x80x9cProcess for Administrating over Changes to Server-Administrated Client Records in a Stateless Protocol.xe2x80x9d The emphasis in that application is on administrating over the trustworthiness of the data. In contrast, the emphasis of the present application is on administrating over the trustworthiness in the presentation.
That is, in the present application the trustworthiness of the data is taken as a given. The problem is, however, even if the data is trustworthy, inconsistent presentation among different requests for the data can cause human error in interpretation of the data.
The matter of consistent presentation of data is critical in field of remote distributed healthcare providers because of the following factors. Medication decisions are based on the data. The data in such case may be the time of previous administration of medication to a patient. If this bit of information fails to land in the right place for it on the client""s computer screen, the client might miss it. The client might also not search the screen for where the data is displayed, or not understand it if indeed seen since it""s not inside its field. Hence the client might decide to administer the patient a next dose when it""s too soon. That""s one aspect of the problem.
At this stage, further background into the problem would provide a richer understanding of it. The clients of applicant""s enterprise comprise a group of healthcare providers such as nurses (of several types), physicians, social workers, therapists (of several types), or dieticians. The profile of such persons in that group is that they are attending to patients or residents in locations other than big medical complexes like hospitals or the like. Example such xe2x80x9cotherxe2x80x9d locations include home health care provided to a patient in his or her own home, long term care provided to residents of long-term care facilities (eg., nursing homes), or physician offices in rural areas or where otherwise remote from services of Information Technologists. These parties have sophisticated information processing needs. However, they may have no more access to a computer than a personal or laptop computer that can be hooked up to the Internet by a phone line. These parties sorely lack local personal service from a skilled Information Technician because IT""s are in short supply about everywhere. These parties troubles will have to be solved on the server-side of operations.
As well understood by those skilled in the art, computers communicating over the World Wide Web (xe2x80x9cWebxe2x80x9d) do so by browser technology and in an environment described as a xe2x80x9cstatelessxe2x80x9d or non-persistent protocol. xe2x80x9cIntranetxe2x80x9d generally refers to private networks that likewise implement browser technology. xe2x80x9cInternetxe2x80x9d generally includes the Web as well as sites operating not on browser-technology but perhaps maybe servers of mail or Internet chat and the like. At least in the case of the Web, the stateless protocol is denominated as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (xe2x80x9cHTTPxe2x80x9d).
One premise of the Web is that material on the Web may be formatted in open or xe2x80x9cpublic domainxe2x80x9d formats. Several have been named previously. Many if not most of these open formats are produced under the authority of W3C, which is short for World Wide Web Consortium, founded in 1994 as an international consortium of companies involved with the Internet and the Web. The organization""s purpose is to develop open standards so that the Web evolves in a single direction rather than being splintered among competing factions. The W3C is the chief standards body for HTTP and HTML and so on.
On the Web, all information requests and responses presumptively conform to one of those standard protocols. Another premise of the Web is that communications vis-a-vis requests and responses are non-persistent. A request comprises a discrete communication which when completed over a given channel is broken. The response thereto originates as a wholly separate discrete communication which is likely to find its way to the requestor by a very different channel.
Additional aspects and objects of the invention will be apparent in connection with the discussion further below of preferred embodiments and examples.
It is an object of the invention to provide a model method of Web-site host consistency administration among inconsistent software-object libraries of remote distributed health-care providers.
These and other aspects and objects are provided according to the invention in a method and system of Web-site host consistency administration for network communications between a server and remote distributed clients belonging to the health-care provider field and in a computing environment in which the clients are treated as communicating from machines stored with inconsistent software-object libraries.
Aspects of the method comprise the following.
A Web-site host is provided with a rich library of DLL objects, a full and complex operating system, an application source program, application data access program, network program, Internet protocols, application data, and application first-stage-compiled objects with DLL references.
The Web-site host is executing the operating system and further executing a repeatable cycle, which from a beginning comprises these steps.
The host executes the network program using the Internet protocols.
It receives a request from a client in the form of keystrokes and cursor-moving device inputs.
It stores the received keystrokes and cursor-moving device inputs.
The host analyzes the keystrokes and cursor-moving device inputs and in consequence thereof, analyzing the request gotten thereby.
It selects, in accordance with the request, an applicable first-stage-compiled object with linked DLL references.
It selects requested data.
It executes a second-stage-compile/interpretation of the selected first-stage-compiled object with linked DLL references in order to derive object and referenced DLL""S.
It executes the derivative code.
The host also develops screen images with requested data content.
It translates the developed screen images into an open or public domain protocol.
It executes the network program using Internet protocols.
The host transmits the translated screen images.
And then, the host goes back to the beginning of the repeatable cycle.
This method thereby provides high assurance that every client sees substantially the same result for the same request despite inconsistencies in DLL libraries onboard different client machines.
Preferably the open protocols comprise one of HTML (hypertext markup language), SGML (standard generalized markup language), XML (extensible markup language), XSL (extensible style language), or CSS (cascading style sheets).
The method may further comprise the following.
That is, a client is provide with a library of DLL objects (but these are presumed inconsistent with those of the server""s library), at least a minimal operating system, a browser program, and Internet protocols.
The client executes the at least minimal operating system and further collects and stores keystrokes and cursor-moving device inputs.
The client analyzes the keystrokes and cursor-moving device inputs and either discontinues or else continues by further executing a repeatable cycle, which from a beginning comprises the following steps.
The client executes the browser program using the Internet protocols.
The client sends a request for Web-site host service in the form of the stored keystrokes and cursor-moving device inputs.
The client executes the browser program using the Internet protocols.
The client receives the requested translated screen images with requested data content.
The client displays the screen images.
The client collects and stores keystrokes and cursor-moving device inputs.
And then the client goes back to the step of analyzing the keystrokes and cursor-moving device inputs at the beginning of the repeatable cycle. Again this further development of the method on the client-side of processing further provides high assurance a common look for every request despite inconsistencies in DLL libraries onboard different client machines.
In this method, the remote distributed clients belonging to the health-care provider field preferably include nurses of varying types, physicians, social workers, therapists of several types, or dieticians providing service to a patient at home, a resident of a nursing home, or a patient at a physician""s office remote from a medical complex.
Additional aspects and objects of the invention will be apparent in connection with the discussion further below of preferred embodiments and examples.